1) Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an improved process for forming wire harnesses for placement in devices.
2) Description of Related Art
In various industries, electrical or computer-communication related wires must be gathered and specifically placed within a device to provide electricity and communication between the various sections of the device, such as between the driver controls of an automobile and the engine. Most automobiles today are replete with electronic devices, which require special wiring throughout the vehicle. This wiring provides electrical power and communication for radios, door locks, door windows, and automotive computer accessories.
Placement of wiring may be accomplished with a wiring harness; a wiring configuration designed for specific wiring devices. The harness provides a single connection point for multiple wires, as well as positions and provides stability and protection for the wires. It also may form junctions for allowing electrical communication between different wiring. Wiring is a complicated process that typically requires training and retraining personnel as it is a meticulous, time-consuming job.
Electrical wiring, especially in more complex devices, requires complicated configurations. Most wiring diagrams include multiple wires where each wire is color coded to represent a specific electronic feature. The wiring harness simplifies this configuration. It provides one connection point for multiple wiring configurations. For example, most auto alarm systems, which contain complicated multiple wire configurations, are connected using a wiring harness. The harness makes installation easier because the wires join at one connection point. Without the harness each wire would need to be manually connected to each wire of the alarm; a very time consuming, costly and error-prone process.
Current automated processes for manufacturing wire harnesses results in various issues that hinder product quality and produce unnecessary waste materials. Current wire harness forming processes may bend or buckle wires during insertion. Leading to faulty connections or wiring harnesses with structural defects that may later fail and impede performance. Moreover, in today's process lines, portions of the wire harness may be preassembled and delivered to a manufacturer or assembler for further processing. In these situations, a manufacturer using current harness assembly techniques must not only treat the assembly carefully, but must also deal with tolerances for devices the manufacturer did not assemble or create.
Indeed, modern applications may use a sleeve or cap to protect the wiring junction and wiring. Use of the sleeve requires “seating” the junction and wires within the sleeve and securing same to ensure the wires remain in the proper configuration. Securing the wires and junction within the harness may be accomplished by crimping the sleeve with the wires and junction positioned therein. However, this may lead to bending wires, and creating “wire memory” issues where a crimped wire carries a bend into a new section of the wiring assembly after the bend forms. Moreover, crimping is machinery intensive and requires specific, precise tooling to prevent damaging the wires and junctions. Further, crimping and current assembly methods, such as pulling a wire harness into place inside the sleeve, may hinder or damage terminal placement, bend terminals, cross wires, or damage accoutrements such as locking tabs. Moreover, securing wire harnesses in place via pulling or tugging is an inconsistent method that does not allow for precise measurements regarding wire and junction placement within a sleeve or cap. Further, current testing methods include the twist test to determine how many revolutions wire or other material can withstand. This test can be used to measure wire twist before breakage or twist and load characteristics. This test may check a wire for brittleness, inclusions, hidden seams and other flaws. Prior assembly methods tend to produce products that do not perform well during the twist test due to stresses placed on the wire during assembly.
What is needed is an improved process for wire harness assembly where harnesses may be assembled without damaging the wire assembly while also reducing waste and coming as close to zero defect production as possible.